MLG strips League of Legends winners of prize in rigging scandal

Two League of Legends teams have lost their prize money after accusations of collusion.

“MLG regrets to announce that we will not be awarding 1st or 2nd Place finishes for the Summer Championship League of Legends Event. We have determined that there was collusion between the two final teams, Curse NA and Team Dignitas,” Major League Gaming said in a statement.

“This is in clear violation of both the letter and spirit of MLG’s Official Pro Circuit Conduct Rules: ‘competitors may not intentionally Forfeit a Game or conspire to manipulate Rankings or Brackets. As such, both teams have been disqualified, and no placements or prize money will be awarded.”

The combined prize money amounts to over $40,000.

The exact nature of the alleged collusion isn’t clear; although nobody seems to suspect either team of deliberately throwing a match, both parties agreed to play a variant ruleset in one match in which all champions are chosen at random and all action takes place in the middle lane. This is apparently not considered a real demonstration of high-end play in the proper spirit of the MOBA.